Jeremiah44chapter 44

The chapter shows how widely Judeans had spread through Egypt: Migdol and Tahpanhes in the north-east, Memphis at the head of the delta, and the land of Pathros, meaning Upper Egypt far to the south. That is not one refugee camp; it is a diaspora. Documents from a Judean military colony at Elephantine, on the southern frontier, show such a community still there generations later, with its own temple and a religion that blended Israel's God with other names.

The argument in this chapter is remarkable because the people answer back at length, and their reasoning is economic. When we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, they say, we had plenty of food, we were well off and saw no disaster; since we stopped, we have lacked everything and been consumed by sword and famine. They date their troubles from Josiah's reform.

The worship described is a family operation: children gather wood, fathers kindle the fire, women knead dough and make cakes bearing the goddess's image. The women add that their husbands knew and approved — a point that matters, because a married woman's vow could be confirmed or cancelled by her husband under the Law, and they are claiming the whole household is in it together.

The sign given to close the argument is the death of Pharaoh Hophra at the hands of his enemies. Egyptian records and the Greek historian Herodotus both report that Hophra was overthrown by Amasis and died around 570 BC.